Take my dog, please!

In case you don't already know, I'm looking for a new home for my rescued project dog, Spike.

We love this dog & he has many good qualities, but it's just not working out between us. It's one of those "it's not you, it's me" breakups.
He's a great dog, he's just not OUR dog.
So we're spreading the word-- please pass this on because someone out there NEEDS this dog as much as he needs them.

Here are the details:
Spike is a young adult (best guess he'll be 2 in May 07) Fox Terrier Mix. Around here (west central WVa) he'd be called a pure bred Squirrel dog aka Mountain Cur.
He's a neutered male, about 35 lbs, white with tan ears & spots & a docked tail. He looks like a large Fox Terrier and uncannily like Nipper, the RCA logo dog.

We got Spike from our local dog shelter the day after Thanksgiving, late November 06. He was a stray who'd been beaten up very badly by a pack of dogs or coyotes &/or shot. He's fully recovered from his injuries & is friendly, alert & very active. He's neutered, housebroken, crate trained & microchipped.

He's super smart & very responsive. He's very easy to train-- my trainer says he'd be fantastic at agility or as a trick/ frisbee dog and i totally agree. If I had the time i'd totally be training him as an agility dog & i'd be making plans for domination of that world. He's that good. Spike is everything a terrier/squirrel dog should be.

Sadly for us, those traits include a hyperactive territorial instinct & and a very high prey drive. That's a polite way of saying that he's, well, territorial & he can't live with cats.

Spike is also human aggressive. A polite way of saying that he has bitten people. Spike has bitten 2 people while with us. The first time his bite drew blood, the 2nd incident just scared us all. On both occasions, the victims were bearded adult men that Spike didn't know & both were attempting to come into our house. (they are friends, we'd invited them in, but Spike didn't get the message). I honestly believe this could be overcome, but i also want to be upfront and honest about Spike's bad qualities as well as his good ones.

Spike seems to be able to tolerate living with a female dog, but he's having trouble coping with our newest pack member who is another neutered male. I suspect that Spike one of those rare dogs who'd be happiest as an only dog. I would very much hesitate to place him in a home with another male dog, unless that dog was a confirmed beta. Spike is all about being the alpha. That's a polite way of saying he has some control issues.

Spike craves training and attention. He will reward your time and effort with unwavering devotion (& lots of agility awards, if you wanted to go that route).

Currently Spike lives with us in west central West Virginia. I'm willing to travel to get him to the right home (and we're frequently in the DC metro area already) but i'm going to need some recommendations if he's going to someone who i don't already personally know. A modest adoption fee of $50 is requested (will donate it to our local, high kill shelter which is where Spike came from) Spike comes with a brand new, still in the box, only used once crate that cost us $85 two months ago.

Please consider taking this extraordinary dog. Or at least tell everyone you know about him. He's truly an awesome dog. He's just not our dog. Maybe he's yours?!?

If we can't find an appropriate home or rescue for Spike by the end of April, we'll very reluctantly take him back to the high kill local shelter he came from. They'll temperament test him & if he passes they'll try to place him. If he doesn't pass the tests, he'll be euthanized. I'm guilt ridden & grief stricken about this, but i've come to understand that it's the only option we'll have left if we can't find the right place for him.

You can reach me at 304-377-1952 or va@dancingpig.com
I fervently hope that Spike can be saved. Please help us find the right situation for this extraordinary dog before it's too late!

Hoping to find a home for my problem child very soon.
Blessings
~Virginia